The field of this invention is protective packaging for disc drives and other information-storage devices. More specifically, the invention concerns a method and device for protecting disc drives and other information-storage devices from damage resulting from impact and electrostatic discharge during shipment and other non-operating activities.
The principal cause of failure of disc drives is handling damage, not operational failure (so-called disc crashes). Handling damage to a disc drive occurs as a result of bumping or dropping the disc drive or causing it to come in contact with a hard surface. Such handling damage is classified as disc slip, head slaps, or gross cosmetic damage. Handling damage occurs during freight transit, carton handling, actual product handling, and product-system integration.
Generally similar damage occurs in the case of other information-storage devices, such as tape drives and optical drives. Additional non-operational damage to disc drives and similar devices occurs as a result of electrostatic discharge, and it is typical to ship devices in an anti-static (static-shielded) bag (also known as an ESD bag) to prevent or reduce such damage.
Current non-operational shock specifications for Seagate desktop information storage devices call for ability to survive 300 g at 2 ms. For high-end products, the specification is approximately 150 g at 2 ms. At shock levels in excess of the specification, it is considered that a drive will suffer physical damage. Handling actions such as those described above (e.g., freight transit) often impart shock in excess of the g levels specified above, leading to return of damaged products for repair or replacement under product warranties, at manufacturer expense. It is believed that this problem and the expense due to handling damage has existed for many years in the disc drive industry.
It is an object of the invention to reduce handling damage and the expense resulting therefrom by improving anti-shock protection for disc drives and other information-storage products.
It is an object of the invention to provide a package containing a disc drive or other information-storage device with a means for protecting the disc drive or other information-storage device from impact. More specifically, it is an object of the invention to provide a package containing a disc drive or other information-storage device with a protection means whereby the package can be subjected to substantially higher than 400 g (for example, 1000 g or more) at 2 ms shock levels while the disc drive or other information-storage device within the package receives less than 400 g at 2 ms shock levels, and preferably less than 200 g, thereby reducing the force of an externally delivered impact of at least 1000 g by a factor of at least 2.5 and preferably at least 5.
It is a further object of the invention to provide anti-static protection that will eliminate need for use of an anti-static (static-shielded) bag for the disc drive or other information-storage device within the package. Preferably the anti-static protection should extend to 20 kV.
The present invention provides a means for packaging disc drives and other information-storage devices in a manner that reduces transmittal of shock to the packaged device. The device is placed in a static-dissipative, plastic, xe2x80x9cclamshellxe2x80x9d protective package comprising an upper and lower portion, each of which has resilient external protrusions that deform under impact to absorb shock. The protective package is preferably a unitary article molded from static-dissipative plastic sheeting, with the upper and lower portions joined at an accordion-like hinge. The upper and lower portions nest together at their peripheral edges, providing a labyrinthine path (in effect, a seal) that prevents passage of contaminants. Shock transmittal (relative to an unprotected drive) is reduced, for example, from a physical impact of 1000 g or more to less than 400 g, and preferably from 1000 g or more to 200 g or less.